Arizona rugby's string of nine straight Domino's Invitational Championships is in jeopardy this weekend as it faces one of the strongest fields in the tournament's history.
The Wildcats enter the weekend with as many losses - one - as the other three participants combined.
In the 10th installment of the annual tournament, UA plays host to Texas A&M, Colorado and SoCal Rugby Conference rival San Diego State. The varsity side of the round-robin tournament opens with Arizona facing Texas A&M. San Diego State plays Colorado on the other side of the bracket.
Arizona (0-1) has never lost to the Aggies (1-1), winning the only two matches between the two programs. Tomorrow's match will be the second consecutive year the Wildcats have opened their home schedule against the Aggies. Last year, UA won a hard-hitting affair 28-13.
The Wildcats showed a little rust in last week's season-opening loss to New Mexico in Albuquerque, losing 28-17. Texas A&M beat Baylor and lost to rival Texas so far this season.
Head coach Dave Sitton said he expects the team to look much sharper against A&M than it did last week, when it endured a grueling bus ride to New Mexico.
"We won't be riding a bus for eight hours (this weekend)," Sitton said. "That will be nice."
Texas A&M isn't the only team endangering Arizona's status as the only team to ever win the Invitational.
Colorado enters the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record but hasn't beaten Arizona in three meetings, including last year's season-opener in Boulder. The Buffaloes hope to remain undefeated in their last action until March. Because of snow conditions, Colorado plays a split season.
San Diego State (2-0) is a familiar foe for the Wildcats. Arizona has played SDSU - the only other SoCal conference squad in the tourney - more than any other school. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 21-20-1 after a last-minute victory last year at Estevan Park. The loss was the lone blemish on the Aztecs' 2000 conference championship season.
Sitton compared the match-up to another prominent UA rivalry.
"The SDSU vs. Arizona game is like the UCLA basketball series," Sitton said. "It's a very intense rivalry. We're both going to play very hard."
The Domino's Invitational begins tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. with Arizona facing Texas A&M in the first match. The championship game kicks off Sunday at 1:20 p.m. All matches will be played at Estevan Park, 1000 N. Main St., and admission is free.
